


Aftermath Chronicles

by breezyshoe



Category: DRAMAtical Murder
Genre: Ambiguous or Implied Relationship(s) - Freeform, Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-04
Updated: 2014-09-03
Packaged: 2018-01-11 04:39:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1168807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breezyshoe/pseuds/breezyshoe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The tales of Aoba and his friends after the fall of Toue and the return of peace to Midorijima in drabble format.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shopping

**Author's Note:**

> All they were supposed to do was get the groceries and return back to Tae.

 

“Koujaku, wai-- Noiz stop it!” Aoba groaned, watching them go through their usual tantrum. After a full year together, he thought they would have gotten all their hate and differences out of their system by now, but it didn’t seem likely anytime soon.

 

“Aoba-san, don’t worry! They are getting along well today! Less intense punches!” Clear chirped at his side, his hand glued to Aoba’s.

 

“Are they..?” Aoba mumbled tiredly before wrenching his hand free from Clear’s hold once noticing their current position. “When did you...?!”

 

“Awww Aoba-san, your hand was so warm. Please continue to hold hands with me!” The white haired whined, nuzzling closer to Aoba who gave him a look, but his expressions did him no good once Clear got a firm grip onto his arm this time.

 

Aoba sighed through his nostrils and focused his eyes back onto Noiz and Koujaku who were still fighting on the side of the road. This was ridiculous! They were out for the main goal of getting groceries for his granny and returning them in the ten minutes she asked. He was pretty sure half an hour had passed and he would receive a nasty bump to the head once he walked in the front door.

 

“Guys, seriously! At least give me the rest of the bags so Clear and I can go!” Aoba flailed his free arm aggressively. Koujaku and Clear had most of the bags on their arms while Noiz had a small bag dangling from his wrist. That was what the fight was really about, Noiz’s laziness.

 

_“At least get another bag!” Aoba pouted, seeing as Noiz was making no effort into helping them carry anything. He was 100% sure half the stuff in the bags were Noiz’s belongings, Tae had only asked for a few items which should have taken up only one bag. The gang [minus Noiz] were carrying seven in total._

_“No need, you carry them.” Noiz muttered, chewing on his beef jerky._

_“You lazy punk!” Koujaku seemed to have had enough of Noiz’s lack of caring._

 

And here they were, fighting over grocery bags.

 

“Ugh.” Aoba facepalmed. “Never again with these two.”

 

“Aoba-san, I’m sure Tae-san will understand if we leave them here! I have most of the necessary ingredients and I’m sure Tae-san can substitute some of the other things she asked for.” Clear held up the bag securely grasped in his arm.

 

“Yeah...” Aoba mumbled, seeing no point in wasting more time.

 

Noiz ducked another punched and managed to place a nice headbutt to Koujaku’s forehead. Both stumbled at the impact, flinching. “Your head is made of stone, no wonder nothing’s in it.”

 

“Oh?! Are you sure you’re not referring to your OWN skull?” Koujaku smirked, ready for more. “I can’t wait to send you running off with your tail between your legs!”

 

“Bye.” Aoba waved to the two, seeing it was pointless as they didn’t respond. Shrugging, he walked with Clear down the road, passing a few bystanders who watched the chaotic scene either in interest or dull annoyance.

 

“Aoba-san?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Doesn’t it feel like a date?” Clear beamed, his eyes almost glowing as he kept his hold on Aoba’s arm, seeing as the man either forgot their position or didn’t care anymore.

 

“Eh..?” Aoba blinked, not getting what Clear was talking about now.


	2. Shaved ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoba and Ren go out for shaved ice on a hot day.

Hot. Way too hot.

 

Aoba laid spread out on the living room floor as the fan buzzed at his side, spraying his body with cool air as its head slowly turned side to side. Even with the small breeze, it wasn’t enough relief for him. Let out a grunt, he forced himself up, feeling his sweaty skin almost peel from the floor. “Why is it so hot..” He mumbled, wiping his forehead with the back of his wrist.

 

His bangs were pulled back with a dog-shaped clip and his hair tied up in a messy ponytail. He had stripped off his usual attire and went for a white off-the-shoulders sleeveless shirt with a messy design on the front that read GOATBED. He wore cargo shorts, each pocket a different color from the next and simple sandals to finish it off.

 

“Granny....do we have any popsicles left?” He called out weakly.

 

No response.

 

“Granny?” He tried again, pulling himself to his feet and heading inside the kitchen. He spotted Ren at the table, sipping a glass of water and panting, reflex from his dog days, but no Granny. “Did she go out, Ren?” He didn’t even hear the front door open.

 

“Yes, she said she would return around early evening.” Ren ran his palm over his cheek and stared at the sweat, frowning. “Human bodies produce a lot of sweat..”

 

Aoba chuckled, walking past Ren and ruffling his hair a bit before checking the freezer, hoping to see at least two popsicles awaiting. But his luck wasn’t good today, all he saw was ice trays and a few frozen dinners and vegetables. His shoulders slumped and he closed the freezer door.

 

“Ren, do you want to go get some shaved ice with me?” Aoba really didn’t want to go out, but he was craving a frozen dessert and shaved ice was definitely popular during the heat wave. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to wait in a long line like last week.

 

“Ah, that sounds refreshing.” Ren finished his water and stood up.

 

Aoba patted his back pocket. “Wallet...wallet...” He mumbled as he did a quick check around the house before finding what he was looking for and returned to the front entrance where Ren waited. “We need to get you some more clothes for the heat.” He frowned at the jeans Ren was stuck wearing, he knew it had to be a sauna in there.

 

“No, I’m fine.” Ren frowned in return, shifting slightly.

 

“No you’re not, you’re just saying that.” Aoba rolled his eyes, but smiled. Ren was always like this. “It’s no trouble at all, I’d rather spend money on some decent clothes for you than you fainting. Now, let’s go!”

* * *

 

“Ahhh, I’m alive again.” Aoba moaned in great pleasure after taking the first bite of his shaved ice. Ren carefully ate, eyes glowing at the strange but flavorful taste. The two sat on the curb near the shaved ice joint, right underneath the hanging sign that produced a nice amount of shade for them to hide from the scorching sun.

 

“Mmm, since we’re near the clothing shops, we can stop in a few for free AC and get you some shorts.” Aoba licked a bit of juice from his finger.

 

“B-”

 

“No but.” Aoba quickly stopped Ren from saying anymore. “I have enough money since I just got my paycheck yesterday so we’re going!” He turned back to eat his ice, bringing the spoon to his mouth but only to have his wrist grabbed and the spoon aimed to someone behind him. Jumping, he looked back quickly, watching as Noiz eat the small bit.

 

“Noiz?!”

 

“Mm..cold.” Noiz licked his lips, satisfied. “Feed me more.”

 

“No! Get your own!” Aoba pointed to the nearby shop.

 

“Line’s too long.” Noiz sat down next to Aoba, still wearing his usual clothing but without his hat.  “More.” He demanded again.

 

“I said NO.” Aoba huffed, getting another scoop of the ice and forcing it into his own mouth angrily. He was not giving up his food or his peace to spoil Noiz who wouldn’t even give him much of a thank you in return.

 

“Fine.”

 

“Good--wait what?” Noiz actually gave up that easily?!

 

Before he could say anything, his face was held firmly in Noiz’s hands and his lips were covered with his. He sat there, stunned, before realizing what he was doing when his tongue wiggled into his mouth and the ice he had previously tried to consume was being stolen.

 

“!!!” Flailing, Aoba punchd Noiz away, covering his mouth with the back of his palm. Horrified and blushing with a death grip on the bowl of shaved ice. “Y--Y-OU...! UGH!” He put the bowl down and began to try and land a few punches in Noiz’s face, though he looked more like a flailing kid throwing a tantrum. “YOU PERVERTED BRAT! STOP DOING THAT!”

 

Ren calmly continued to eat his shaved ice, watching Aoba lash out at Noiz who didn’t seem very bothered by it, more amused than bothered actually. 

 


	3. Hair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoba notices Koujaku's type.

 

“Hmm...” Aoba hummed.

 

“Huh, what?” Koujaku turned his attention onto his friend. The two were taking a small stroll through the streets of Midorijima before returning to work.

 

“Koujaku, you have a thing for girls with long hair.” Aoba crossed his arms, tilting his head side to side. “I just noticed lately, they always have long hair and it’s rare when you’re around a short haired girl.”

 

“Oh, really?” Koujaku rubbed his chin. “Well, girls with long hair are cute, don’t you think?” He grinned. “And it’s easy to style long hair than short hair. Though short hair is fine.”

 

“Mm..” Aoba lightly touched his own hair thoughtlessly.

 

“Oh, but long hair fits you as well Aoba.”

 

“...ha...?” Aoba rose an eyebrow. “Don’t say that after just talking about your love for long hair. It sounds like you’re calling me a girl.”

 

“Sorry, sorry but it’s true. Though I am curious what you would look like with short hair or a different hair style altogether.” Koujaku pondered, thinking up various styles Aoba could try out if his hair wasn’t so sensitive to work with.

 

“Mmm, I’m fine with my current hairstyle though.”

 

“Braids would suit you.”

 

Koujaku and Aoba jumped and swirled around, staring up to Mink. Where had he come from?!

 

“B-Braids?” Aoba hesitated, unsure if he heard right.

 

Mink nodded slightly. “Small braids at the front, with a mix of hair clippings.”

 

“Ah...”

 

“Oh, actually, that would sound nice.” Koujaku agreed, nodding and staring at Aoba’s hair as if it were the holy grail. “Aoba, if I’m careful with your hair, would mind if I-”

 

“No.” Aoba frowned. Even if the sensitivity had died down since the fall of the Oval tower, it still felt weird for people to touch it. “Besides, I don’t think any other style would suit me besides this,” He pointed to his current style, “or a ponytail.”

 

“You really don’t like change, huh?” Koujaku sighed, defeated.

 

“I’ll do it.” Mink spoke.

 

“...eh...do what?” Aoba blinked blankly.

 

“I’ll braid your hair, tomorrow.” With that, he turned and walked away as if nothing had happened.

  
“T-Tomo--..wait, no, I don’t wa-- Hey, Mink!” Aoba shouted after the man, giving chase to hopefully change his mind.


	4. Fans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoba is whisked away by Virus and Trip.

“Aoba, yohoo~”

 

“Aoba-san, good evening.” 

 

Aoba turned around to come face to face with the identical men. “Virus, Trip, what’s up?”

 

Virus smiled. “We’re on a small break and decided to take a walk.

 

“And hoped to run into you, Aoba.” Trip left Virus’s side, wrapping his arm around Aoba’s shoulder. “Do you want to hang out?”

 

“Uh, sure, but I have to be home in an hour.” He promised to help Tae with dinner tonight.

 

“An hour is perfect.” Virus nodded to Trip who suddenly slipped both his hands under Aoba’s armpits and lifted him like a child.

 

“WHOA, wait, what’s going on?!” Aoba yelped, staring at his dangling feet before struggling to get back to solid ground. “Trip, put me down!” He demanded before he was thrown on top of the man’s shoulder like a sack of flour. “W-what the hell?!”

 

“We’ll be going this way.” Virus proceeded to walk with Trip following behind merrily.

 

“I can use my legs!” Aoba called back, wiggling every now and then, but Trip’s hold was strong. After a minute of struggling, he gave up. No one really looked at them anyway and if they did, he would just shield his face with his hand, hoping they wouldn’t recognize him.

Finally, they arrived at their destination and Trip put Aoba back onto his feet. “Surprise~” He spread out his arms to the shop. It was a small, but very new shop. Aoba was sure he never seen it before and it was very rare when new shops opened in the district. The sign read M U Z I K and the display windows had poster upon poster of various artist titles and sale information.

 

“A music store?” Aoba echoed, looking to them confused. “Uh, wha...”

 

“We thought you would enjoy browsing through here since you are a big music lover, aren’t you Aoba-san?” Virus smiled pleasantly.

 

“Ah, yeah, sure.” Aoba still didn’t get why they needed to carry him here though.

 

“And karaoke in the backrooms.” Trip leaned on Aoba’s back. “Sing for us, Aoba~”

 

“Eh?!”

* * *

 

Aoba stared at the mic in his hand and then at the two men sitting comfortable at the double sofas, sipping their expensive drinks. “Uhh...”

 

“Well Aoba-san, please choose a song.” Virus encouraged.

 

“I can’t sing! I told you that when you dragged me in the shop AND when you dragged me through the halls until we got in here!”

 

“Ao~ba~ Sing for us anyway.” Trip munched on his small cake.

 

Aoba let out an annoyed sigh and began to click through the available songs. He could see there was no way he was getting out of here. Even if he made a dash for it, he was sure Trip would grab him without so much as breaking a sweat and drag him back until he sang. Or they would just pester him daily until he finally did.

 

“Mm...no....nna....oh.” Aoba’s eyes glistened at a familiar song by his favorite band. He knew this song by heart, the lyrics were already running through his mind just from staring at the title. Shrugging, he clicked on it and brought the mic to his lips, watching the board load up and start it’s countdown, asking if he was ready to jam before the lyrics slowly eased onto the screen and the music played. Aoba swallowed and began to sing to the best of his abilities.

 

Virus and Trip watched, both amused. Aoba wasn’t the best of singers, but he was decent enough to listen to. They watched him get lost in the music and become my expressive as he sung each lyric passionately until the end. They clapped, Trip whistling.

 

“T-Thanks.” Aoba rubbed his neck a bit embarrassed. He had forgotten where he was until the two started clapping. “So, whose next?”

 

“Aoba.”

 

“Aoba-san.”

 

“What?! I just went though!”

 

“But we want to hear more of Aoba-san’s singing. You have to be kind to your fans.” Virus sipped his drink once more.

 

“Right, right, kind to your fans.” Trip grinned.

  
Aoba stared at them long and hard, realizing they were going to make him entertain them for the next half hour. He sighed loudly. “You two, geeze..” He mumbled and began to look for another song. Having fans was a pain in the butt.


	5. Picture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoba wants to take a group photo.

“Guys, let’s take a picture!” Aoba crawled from out his closet, holding up a digital camera. The group - Koujaku, Noiz, Mink, Clear, and Ren - were all sitting either on the bed or around the small table in the center of the room. Drinks and snacks were out and scattered around, though Noiz ate most of them. “Come on, a group picture to reflect back on!” Aoba made his way back to his seat between Clear and Ren.

 

“Oh, a picture would be wonderful, Aoba-san!” Clear immediately approved, scooting closer to Aoba to observe the camera closely. It was a definitely old brand, but was durable and could still take a few more pictures before it met its demise.

 

Koujaku frowned, glancing to Mink and Noiz unsurely. “ALL of us?”

 

“Yes, ALL of us.” Aoba gave him a look and then steered his gaze onto Mink and Noiz himself. “Did you guys hear me?”

 

“Not interested.” Noiz munched on his last slice of pizza, licking the sauce and small crumbs of crust off his bottom lip. “We see each other every day, no point in a picture.” He shrugged, not getting the whole sentimental gesture. It was plain stupid in his opinion.

 

Mink said nothing as he sipped his tea, though it was obvious he agreed with Noiz on this one.

 

“UGH, we’re taking the picture!” Aoba wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Clear, Ren, help me clean up this place.”

 

The three men pushed the table up against the wall and made a nice space near the veranda door, big enough for them all to stand. Aoba placed the camera on top of his computer, turning it on. A few panels appeared above the camera head which Aoba typed and toggled with until getting the timer on the right set of time. Before starting it, he glanced back.

 

Ren, Clear, and Koujaku were by the doors, Noiz and Mink occupied the bed.

 

“Noiz! Mink!” Aoba groaned. Stubbornness at its finest.

 

“Let’s just take the picture without them!” Koujaku was also irritated at their attitude towards Aoba’s request. They were acting like pouty children and he was on the verge of punching them both in the face, but managed to keep himself calm enough not to actually do that.

 

Seeing the two weren’t budging, Aoba set the timer and went over to the only three willing to do it. “Thanks guys.” He smiled and turned to the camera, giving his best smile. He squeaked when Clear hugged onto his arm and tumbled a bit into Koujaku.

 

“Smile Aoba-san!”

 

“Hey, hey, you don’t need to hold onto Aoba like that!” Koujaku said though his arm managed to wrap around Aoba’s shoulder somehow. What a hypocrite. Ren was tall enough to stand behind Aoba, though he did look left out the bunch. He slipped his arms around Aoba’s waist and hugged onto his securely.

 

“W-Wait, guys, you don’t need to hang on me like this!” Aoba cried out just as the camera flashed, forever keeping the image. The three released him and he let out a loud sigh, going over to check the picture. A screen appeared and displayed the captured picture. They all looked so silly, but everyone [minus himself] was smiling.

 

“Oh, may I have a copy Aoba-san!?” Clear was at his side, eyes glistening at the photograph.

 

“Ehh..” Aoba contemplated if they should take another though, but judging from Clear’s glee, he decided it was fine as it was. “Sure. I’ll make you a copy too, Koujaku.” He called back as he began to put in the print details on the glowing keyboard beneath the panel.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Hm?” Aoba looked over his shoulder, eye to eye with Noiz. “What?”

 

“Take a picture with me.”

 

“What?! You didn’t WANT to!”

 

“I didn’t know we could touch you freely for a picture.” Noiz leaned against him, his chin comfortably on his shoulder and his hands slipping into Aoba’s shirt.

 

“AH, STOP IT NOIZ!”

 

“YOU LITTLE SHIT, GET OFF OF AOBA!” Koujaku raced over, pulling Noiz off quickly. A battle began just as easy as that.

 

* * *

“OKAY, one more picture. Now that Noiz,” Aoba looked to Mink curiously, “And Mink decided to join in.” He turned his back to the group, placing a good amount of time on the timer.

 

Koujaku elbowed Noiz’s side, hissing that he was too close. Clear quickly intervened, standing between the two to keep another battle from occurring, but only received jabs from them before they realized he had made himself a human [robot] barrier.

 

“Oww, Koujaku-san, Noiz-san, please don’t fight.” He held onto his sides in agony.

 

“Clear, are you alright?” Ren asked worriedly.

 

Aoba sighed through his nose and set the timer before making his way back in the center. “Okay guys, just smile to the camera.” He turned his back to them and grinned brightly...which fell to a frown when arms from all sides surrounded him. He felt like a drowning sailor being dragged down by a octopus.

  
“GUYS, SERIOUSLY?!” Aoba screamed just as the camera flashed.


	6. Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoba catches a cold. The boys debate over who will bathe him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, college is just....college. It sucks out my writing motivation. Ahh, I have so many stories to update.

Aoba sniffed loudly, which only caused him to break out into a cough fit. He should have listened to Ren yesterday morning about the rain. Instead of grabbing an umbrella like he said he would, he ended up staying a bit too late at breakfast and raced out into the rain to work. Once he got home that day, the cold had already sunk in. Mucus stuffed his nose, his face was hot, his head was pounding, and anything that remind him of food made him want to hurl.

 

“I told you to take an umbrella.” Ren sighed as he took a seat next to the bed.

 

“I was gonna, but I forgot.” Oh god, was that really his voice? It sounded horrible!

 

“Tae-san told me to give you these, you need to eat something.” He held up the plate of toast and crackers. “Dry food is best for now.”

 

Aoba forced himself to sit up and took the plate. Really he wasn’t in the mood to eat at all, but hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast yesterday and it was almost noon now. He grudgingly chewed on the toast, frowning as he swallowed. “No taste..” Even his taste buds were dead. He sighed and continued to force himself to feel his stomach.

 

“Your cold is progressing, you may need more medicine...I’ll go speak with Tae-san.” Ren stood and with quick strides he exited the room and down the stairs, only to be greeted with familiar faces of Aoba’s friends. He hadn’t heard the front door open before, his focus was way off then. “Hello...” He greeted awkwardly. Before when he was an allmate, it was easier to get along with them. But now being a human, it felt odd in a way. Was this how humans usual felt in society?

 

“How is Aoba-san?! Is he getting better?! Aoba-san, I’m here!” Clear cried out, racing up the stairs. A startling cry and thud came next. “Ahh, I tripped over the table..” They heard him say. Noiz rolled his eyes at Clear’s stupidity.

 

“Well, is Aoba doing alright?” Koujaku spoke up once the small chaos was over for the time being.

 

“He’s getting worse, but Tae-san believes once he beats this cold he’ll be in high spirits. I was going to ask her for more cold medicine now.”

 

“What the hell are you doing, Clear?!” Aoba’s groggy voice could barely shout, but it was loud enough for the people downstairs to hear. The group looked up to see Aoba in Clear’s arms as he descended down the stairs.

 

“Don’t worry Aoba-san, I think a nice, warm bath would suit you well!” He smiled brightly.

 

Aoba stared at him a moment. That did make sense actually, a nice bath was the best thing to do for colds and once he got out, he’d probably get some good sleep in bed instead of laying in his own sweat. But he really didn’t like this idea of being carried around, he could walk!...well that was a lie, he was pretty sure he’d have a dizzy spell even if he tried.

 

“We get to wash Aoba?” Noiz appeared at their side once they made it to the first floor, a smirk glued to his face.

 

“No! I banned you from the bathroom, remember?!” Aoba flailed his arm weakly at him. He remembered the last time he bathed and Noiz managed to break in [again]. Instead of sitting in Aoba’s room and destroying it [again], he decided to search for him and walked into the bathroom. It took everything in Aoba’s power to not drown him right then and there.

 

“You stay the hell away from Aoba!” Koujaku pushed Noiz to the side, glaring at him warningly before smiling to his friend. “I’ll help you Aoba, we wouldn’t want you fainting in the bath.”

 

“No, no I’m fine, really.” Aoba frowned. He wasn’t a baby, damn it.

 

“You both don’t need to do anything! I’ll be there for Aoba-san!”

 

“I said I’ll be fine!” Why were they ignoring him?!

 

“Shouldn’t robots stay away from water?” Noiz frowned, annoyed that he wasn’t getting his way.

 

Aoba squirmed in Clear’s arms as the three continued to prove their point of who should wash him. He didn’t need this! If he wanted someone to wash him, he’d just ask Ren or even his grandma if she wouldn’t mind. “Guys, seriously..!”

 

“Will you three stop with your shouting?!” Tae stormed out the kitchen, glaring at the men. “Ren, go run Aoba his bath. Aoba, stop letting these three,” She paused and looked at Mink who remained quiet. She still wasn’t sure about him. “..stop letting these three argue over your body! It’s YOUR body!”

 

Aoba’s ears turned red why did she have to say it like that?!

 

Ren left to do as instructed as Koujaku and Clear apologized for their rudeness.

 

“Now, I’m busy with lunch and these cold pills. One of you will have to watch over Aoba, I’d prefer it to be Ren but I need him with me to get more supplies in case I need them and I don’t trust any of you handling that job well without fighting! So, Aoba, choose your poison!” With that, she left.

 

Aoba gaped as she left and turned, only to see the four putting a lot of attention on him now.

 

“Aoba-san, please choose me! I’ll be very careful and thorough!” Clear spoke up first.

 

Well, Clear would actually take care of him..

 

“Let me do it.” Noiz spoke up next.

 

Hell no.

 

“I think it would be best if I did it, since Aoba and I have known each other for years!” Koujaku smiled to him.

 

That was true. He knew him well enough to know where to touch and where not to.

 

Mink said nothing.

 

Aoba wasn’t surprised.

 

“I uh, guess I’ll go with Koujaku on this one.” Aoba finally answered.

 

Koujaku smiled brightly and smirked at Noiz who glared at him in return. “Okay Aoba, I’ll take you now, the bath should be filled.” Clear sulkily moved Aoba into Koujaku’s arms. Seriously though, he could walk if he had the support! But he was sure they wouldn’t listen, so he just went with the flow.

 

Ren reappeared just in time. “The bath is ready.”

 

“Ah, excellent!” Koujaku walked down the hall towards the bathroom.

 

Ren watched until the door closed behind them and turned his attention onto the three men. “If you would like to wait for him in his room, you ca--” He stopped as Clear and Noiz simply walked down the hall towards the bathroom door and sat down on the floor. Clear leaned against the door, ear pressed on it. Noiz turned on his coil, looking through his emails and information. “...or wait there..” Ren finished off. He glanced to Mink a moment who stood there silently before he too walked over and took a seat on the floor opposite of the door and the others.

 

“Ren, come here!” Tae called out from the kitchen.

 

“Ah, yes.” He called back and gave a final glance at the men before going to Tae’s side.

 

 


	7. Jump Scares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoba is challenged to play through a horror game. He immediately regrets everything.

Why was he doing this? Why had he actually let Noiz get to him? Aoba was near tears, flipping through the cameras in the game. Noiz had purchased a copy of a not too old video game from the States, a horror game to be exact. _“Five Nights at Freddy’s”_ it read in the email along with a _“I challenge you to play through all 5 nights. - Noiz”._ Aoba had huffed, taking on the simple challenge since he had nothing to do for the rest of the night.

_He regretted it so much._

He had managed to get to the third night. The first night had been quite an experience and the moving animatronics who were out to kill you weren’t cute at all. He had screamed when he thought he had been caught and was going to die, but once the chiming of the 6 AM bell rang, he let out a scream of joy. He was thankful his granny wouldn’t be home for another hour or she would have kicked in his door to tell him to shut up.

A hand tapped his shoulder.

“AAAHH!” Aoba turned around fast, shaking before relaxing and glaring weakly at his companion he had forgot sat in his room throughout his gameplay. “Don’t do that, Ren!” Aoba paused the game momentarily, not wanting to turn back to the screen to face another jump scare without being prepared at least.

“Sorry, but I don’t understand what’s scary about this game?” Ren was puzzled.

“I-It’s uh.. n-not too scary!” Aoba swallowed, not wanting to rid of anymore pride he had left. He was sure the rest of it had run off from the amount of screaming he did in the second night. Maybe the third night wouldn’t be as bad, since he was kind of getting into the rhythm now. He unpaused the game and waited impatiently for the phone to ring. “O-okay, let’s start.” He whispered, flipping through the cameras quickly in case anything had moved already and then returned his attention on the call of the previous night watch worker.

“Pirate’s Cove?” Aoba flicked through the cameras again, jumping when he noticed the duck had moved, and arrived at the proper screen. “Nothing so far..” He swallowed and returned his attention on the loose duck. Around 2 AM in the game, he had managed to protect himself from the duck on his left and the rabbit on his right until they both eventually moved back further into the restaurant. Sighing in relief and checking how much power he had left, he returned to searching the screens.

“ _WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!_ ” Aoba shrieked, almost backing up into Ren’s lap who had sat quietly behind him. He stared horrified at the wolf animatronic peering out the curtain of the blocked stage with a “Out of Order!” sign in front of it. “Now there’s four of them!?” He wanted to end this game now, _right now._

“Aoba, you can turn it off, I’m sure Noiz won--”

“No, he’ll tease me about it for weeks!” Aoba ran a hand through his hair irritatedly and returned to flickering through the screens. 5 AM had arrived, he breathed in relief. Just one more hour and he would complete night three and just have two more to do. “See, Ren! I’m almost done!” He grinned and turned back to flicking through the cameras. He froze when he saw the familiar fox from before, not at the _out of order_ sign anymore, he was in the hall on his left. Aoba swallowed, he had a bad feeling about this. He cautiously checked the other cameras for the other creatures before an unfamiliar sound of rushing footsteps was heard. He jumped and checked the cameras once more, gasping when he noticed the fox move at lightning speed down the hall. Quickly he returned back to the office and attempted to close the side door, only to find himself unable to. “Oh no..” He whispered and waited in fear for what was to come.

The wolf appeared in the door after waiting and building up the suspense of its arrival, shrieking painfully loud and the game screen became static. Aoba screamed in terror and this time ended up in Ren’s lap, shaking in fear. That was it, he wasn’t playing this anymore. Weeks of Noiz’s teasing would be better than going any further in the game! He was sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep for the next week anyway!

_Thuck thuck_

Aoba and Ren stiffened, both looking at each other and then slowly towards the glasses doors of the balcony. It was dark, but the balcony light was able to make out parts of what appeared to be a person, but the shadows also made the said person look like they had just stepped out the horror game.

_“AAHHHH!”_

* * *

 

Aoba sobbed into his knees, ignoring Clear’s and Ren’s attempts to comfort him. “Leave me alone! I hate you all!” He cried loudly, he was so frustrated. Clear had scared the life out of him and it probably would have been worse if he still wore his old gas mask.

“Aoba-san, I’m so sorry! I heard you screaming and I ran here as fast as I could! Aoba-san please!” Clear whined, he too was in tears and hugging onto the man. Ren too tried to comfort Aoba but to no avail, Aoba was a lost cause at this point. His fears had gotten the best of him and he wouldn’t be recovering from any of this anytime soon.

“Stupid Noiz! I hate him the most! I’m going to kick his ass tomorrow!” Aoba sniffled, pouting into his kneecaps. At this moment, it was best for him to be in peace and quiet. But it seemed fate was against him when his coil vibrated and rang. He let out a giant scream and fell backwards, the call somehow activating on its own and revealing it to be Koujaku calling.

“Aoba? ... Aoba?” Koujaku called out.

Aoba sat up and took in a deep breath. “ _YO_ _U’RE NOT GOING TO GET ME, YOU STUPID FOX!_ ” He ripped the coil off his wrist and threw it to the floor, running out the room to anywhere that was safe, Clear and Ren following closely behind to make sure he did nothing crazy during his tantrum.

“HUH? Aoba?! AOBA!!” Koujaku’s voice shouted out, the door slamming being his only response.

 


End file.
